Bridle.



No. 770,831. PATENTED SEPT. 27, 1904.

M. MoG. STOKES.

BRIDLE.

APPLIOATIGN FILED MAY 16. 1904.

N0 MODEL.

avwaufoz UNITED STATES Patented September 27, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

BRIDLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 770,831, dated September 27, 1904.

Application filed May 16, 1904.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that LMI ES MCGEHEE SToKEs,

Y a citizen of the United States, residing at Gunnison, in the county of Bolivar and State of Mississippi, have invented new and useful Improvements in Bridles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention pertains to bridles; and it has for its object to provide a light and very strong bridle the parts of which are permanently connected together with a view of preventing the loss or theft of any part and one which is adapted to be quickly and easily increased or diminished in size, so as to nicely fit horses of various sizes.

With the foregoing in mind the invention will be fully understood from the following description and claims when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in Which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the bridle constituting the present and preferred embodiment of my invention, the same being shown with portions of the leather coverings broken away to disclose the chains therein. Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse section taken through the brow-band of the bridle in the plane indicated by the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in both views of the drawings.

In the present and preferred embodiment of my invention the novel bridle is made up of abit A, having rings a at its ends; a headstall B, formed of chain or a plurality of connected links and permanently connected at its ends to the bit-rings 0, preferably through the medium of comparatively large links 6; a browband C, which, like the headstall, is formed of a plurality of connected links and is permanently connected at its ends to the said headstall; acovering D, of leatheror other suitable material, arranged on the bight or upper portion of the headstall and designed to prevent the links, which are preferably of galvanized metal, from galling a horse or mule; a covering E, of leather or other suitable material, arranged on the brow-band (J and designed to serve the same purpose as the covering D, and hooks F, preferably snap-hooks, permanently connected to the rings a, preferably Serial No. 208,115. (No model.)

through the medium of the comparatively large links 5, and designed to engage links of the headstall .after the manner illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

As will be readily observed by reference to Fig. 1 of the drawings, the headstall B, which is sufliciently long to receive the head of the largest horse or mule, may be quickly and easily increased or diminished in length by simply placing the hooks F in different links of the headstall, and in this way the bridle may be increased or diminished in size and made to nicely fit horses and mules of various sizes. For instance, when the hooks F are in the position shown in Fig. 1 relative to the headstall and it is desired to increase the size of the bridle it is simply necessary for an attendant to disconnect the hooks from the links with which they are engaged and place said hooks in engagement with lower links of the headstall. To diminish the size of the bridle, the hooks F after being disconnected from the links, which they are shown as engaging, are placed in engagement with higher links of the headstall. As the hooks F are adapted to engage all of the exposed links of the headstall, it follows that the bridle is capable of considerable range of adjustment.

In addition to the facility with which it may be made to fit horses or mules of various sizes my novel bridle is advantageous because of its an important advantage when it is remembered'that rough bridles are generally handled by help and when the parts are detachable parts are frequently lost or stolen, with the result that the bridle is rendered useless until such parts are replaced with new parts.

I have shown my novel bridle as lacking a throat-latch and a rein. I desire it understood, however, that when desired the bridle may comprise both a throat-latch and a rein without involving a departure from the scope of my invention, and in this connection I desire to say that when a throat-latch and a rein are employed they will by preference be made of connected metallic links, and the throatlatch will be permanently connected at one end to the headstall and detachably connected at its opposite end. to the headstall, preferably through the medium of a snap-hook, while the rein will be permanently connected at one end to one ring a of the bit and detachably connected at its opposite end to the other ring a of the bit, preferably through the medium of a snap-hook. When connected to the bridle in the manner stated, the throatlatch and the rein will obviously constitute permanent parts of the bridle and cannot be removed therefrom and lost or taken away.

I have entered into a detailed description of the construction and relative arrangement of the parts embraced in the present and preferred embodiment of my invention in order to impart a full, clear,and exact understanding of the same. I do not desire, however, to be understood as confining myself to such specific construction and relative arrangement of parts, as such changes or modifications may be made in practice as fairly fall within the scope of my invention as claimed.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. In a bridle, the combination of a bit, a headstall connected at its ends with the bit,

- and having openings at intervals of its length,

and a hook also connected with the bit and adapted to be engaged with and" disengaged from the openings of the headstall.

2. In a bridle, the combination of a bit, a headstall permanently connected at its ends to the bit and comprising a plurality of connected links, and a hook permanently connected with the bit and adapted to be engaged 4 with and disengaged from the links of the headstall.

3. In a bridle, the combination of a bit having rings, a headstall permanently connected at its ends to the rings of the bit and having adjacent to said ends pluralities of connected links, hooks permanently connected to the rings of the bit and adapted to be engaged with and disengaged from links of the headstall, and a brow-band connected at its ends to the headstall.

I. In a bridle, the combination of a bit, a headstall permanently connected at its ends to the bit and comprising a plurality of con.

nected links; and a covering inclosing the upper links, a brow-band permanently connected at its ends to the headstall, and comprising a'plurality of connected links and a covering inclosing the said links, and hooks permanently connected to the bit and adapted to be engaged with and disengaged from links of the headstall.

5. In a bridle, the combination of a bit, a headstall formed of connected links and permanently connected at its ends to the bit, a brow-band permanently connected at its ends to the headstall and formed of a plurality of connected links, and hooks permanently connected to the bit and adapted to be engaged Witlll and disengaged from links of the headstal In testimony whereof I havehereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MILES MOGEHEE STOKES. Witnesses:

R. G. Musenovn, A. F. GozA. 

